About Kirsten

Food, Fitness, Finance, and FUN in Your 40s…

I am very excited for my 40s, so far since I turned 40 in 2012, my life has been amazing. I feel like FINALLY after years and years and years (approximately 39 of them…maybe 36 as I believe up until now, the first 4 years of my life were my best) I am discovering WHO I am, WHAT I want, and HOW to get it.

The areas of my life I am most passionate about are fitness, food, finances, and fun, so those are the topics I want to use to connect with like-minded people who are searching to enhance their own lives in those specific areas.

I believe I am qualified to talk about all four of those topics because I am consistently learning and improving in those areas in my own life. Am I an expert? Probably not. Am I getting better and better as I learn from my past mistakes and experiences? ABSOLUTELY!! And if I am getting better as time goes by, I see expert status in my future. Until then, let’s go on this journey together!!

FITNESS:

My fitness background is quite extensive. From becoming a competitive athlete at a very young age, to joining my first gym when I was 12, to going to college for exercise science, to working in a gym for 17 years, coaching sports, becoming addicted to triathlon, and ending up as a health/fitness coach.

So basically my whole life has been centered around exercise, sports, fitness, and movement…OK…so maybe I AM an expert in this one!!

UPDATE:

I now consider myself a professional athlete. I get paid to train, race, and be an athlete! I have also to date helped THOUSANDS of athletes and other awesome peeps reach their own personal health, wellness, nutrition, triathlon, and fitness goals!! I have several books, training plans, support groups, and clients that keep me busy in this category that I am so passionate about.

On a personal training note, I took a year off triathlon and did some fun things like a 10K open water swim, a 16,000 yard pool swim, a treadmill marathon, a track marathon, and 7 marathons in 7 days. Coming back to triathlon this year is incredible. I am in the best shape of my life and racing better than ever!!

FOOD:

This has been my most painful, yet rewarding journey. I became a vegetarian when I was 8 years old…I didn’t want to eat animals anymore. I became obsessed with my weight when I was 12…I wanted to be tiny like my “little” friends in Jr High, not like my 5’7” 140 pound “GIANT” body. This took me on a path of calculating the exact amount of food I could or couldn’t eat to maintain my weight. It was a challenge because I was a compulsive and emotional overeater but also already so big I didn’t allow myself to get any bigger. Over the next 30 years I constantly battled with my food choices, food intake, energy/calorie output, and how I could ever possibly calm my fear of being fat and make peace in my head. My head and heart also tell me I want to live on 100% plant-based Vegan diet. My body sometimes struggles with the restrictions and the past few years have been (although less intense) a constant battle over loving my body the way it is and desperately wanting it to be something it’s not.

OK…So apparently I am NOT an expert on this one, but I think I have a lot of insight I could offer others in their journey.

UPDATE:

I have now been 100% vegan and have been for over 18 months. What used to be a struggle is SO easy for me! I swear I never thought I would get to this place. I am constantly working toward more raw and whole foods, and doing better all the time. I am also helping others with transitioning to vegetarian and vegan with challenges, recipes, support groups, newsletters, and meal plans. It is extremely rewarding to see people find what works best for their hearts, bodies, and souls with food.

FINANCES:

OK…so maybe this has been my most painful journey!! Actually not really. I have a super high risk tolerance so although I have made and lost lots of money over my 28 year working career, it’s never been a source of pain for me. Sometimes stress, anxiety, and frustration, but never painful like my disordered eating. I started working at Burger King when I was 14 years old and have always been great at work…not so great at working FOR someone else…so as soon as I realized working for myself was an option, I pretty much went that route. I have no idea how many businesses I have started, but I do love the experience of starting and growing a business. I’m a bit impatient, so I ended many of them because they were taking too long to get up and running. During my working years I have made lots of money, but I have also spent lots of money. I chose a very expensive hobby and have expensive eating habits.

Together those two things probably use up 50% of my income! But all in all I am great at budgeting and saving for future expenses. I have helped hundreds of people either make more money, spend less money, and save for the things most important to them.

UPDATE:

We are debt-free other than our house! After working on the Dave Ramsey plan for years and years, we finally got serious (“gazelle intense” he calls it) and paid off ALL our debts other than our house which we should have paid off in less than 7 years!! We have also built up a big savings (emergency fund) and a smaller (but never had before) medical fund! Oh, and we became grown-ups after 20 years and got health insurance!!

FUN:

So here is the category I SUCK at…no seriously!! I mean at OTHER people’s idea of fun. According to my definition of FUN, I am an expert. I believe doing what I choose to do all day every day is fun…super fun! And that is what I do. I have spent years in personal development figuring out what makes me happy and doing more of that in my life. And have helped others do the same. It’s all about small steps…taking ONE step daily toward your ideal life. And compounded over time, your life will be EXACTLY the way you want it to be! And to me, that is fun!!

UPDATE:

We sold our RV 6 months ago and moved back into our house in Colorado. And I wrote a book about it! FUN! My favorite things to do are train, race, swim, eat yummy vegan food, snuggle with our new (new since I started my blog) dog, Joey, watch movies, be on social media, write, and hang with my hubby. And I am incorporating those things into my life DAILY now! YAY ME!!

My mission is still the same. To help others love themselves more. To inspire others to WANT to be better! I still love personal growth and still listen to podcasts daily! I can’t wait until the day I make massive amounts of money just by being ME!!

MY LIFESTYLE:

Currently my life looks like this: I live in an RV with my husband and our dog. We typically stay in one place from 1-6 weeks and then move on. With the exception of Lake Tahoe, CA where we stayed for 3 months so I could train for Ironman Lake Tahoe and Cheyenne, WY where we are staying for 6 months so we finish paying off our debt and save for our month long trip to Kona, HI in October.

I only wake up to an alarm on the mornings I have races. Every morning I have a “Kick Ass Morning” routine that includes meditation, walk with my dog, green tea, supplements, and writing. I then decide how I want to spend the rest of my day which typically includes: training (swim, bike, run, strength, yoga, pilates), working, organizing, planning, eating delicious food, and connecting with awesome people. In the evenings my hubby and I eat dinner, chat, chill online, and then watch a movie every night before bed.

That may not be YOUR perfect life, but it’s mine!

It wasn’t always like that though. I spent years and years waking up at 4am to be at work by 5am (oh and BTW…I am NOT a morning person). I thought I had to. I didn’t know there were any other options. I felt desperate and trapped. I’m so grateful my personal growth journey led me to the life I lead now.

My mission in life now is to help others figure out what is important to them and start toward living that life.

MY BUSINESS:

I am the proud owner of TWO network marketing businesses that I can operate from ANYWHERE. I was listening to a podcast one day and heard someone tell the host he was a “Lifestyle Entrepreneur”. I LOVE THAT! It definitely describes me because the main reason I chose the businesses I have, is that I CAN do them anywhere. I chose to earn income in a way that fits with the lifestyle I want to live, not the other way around like most people do. I also gave up the idea of how things are “supposed to be” so I could live the way I feel fits ME the best.

My husband and I have been living on the road for over a year now, and although it did take some practice, I am back to running both businesses, and my life, smoothly and effectively. I am grateful I chose this path and don’t think I could ever go back to my “old” life. The freedoms and choices I get to make every day are priceless. I know many of you feel “stuck” in a life you don’t love…trust me, I GET IT…I was there too! You DO have options. There are so many opportunities in our country to live the way you WANT to live. You just have to take a risk and go for it! And be OK with failing once or twice or more. It is all part of the journey.

My opportunities may not be the right ones for you, but I do think everyone at some point should take a look at network marketing as an income source. It is one of the cheapest ways I know of to own your own business, and most companies cannot ever fire you, put a cap on your income, or tell you how you can and can’t run your own business. The more you work, the more money you make, and the best part (for me) is that I can do it ANYWHERE! Well…anywhere I can get internet and cell service…which HAS proven to be a challenge on the road.